Delivering and catching device.



PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908.

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, PATBNTED SEPT. 8, 1908. J. MCGAV 00K, R. E. HAYNES RHIES.

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W. E. MARTIN, W. L. GRANT, R

L J. U. V00 Y DELIVERING AND GAT APPLIoATIoN rILED .1811.11, 1908.

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM EDWARD MARTIN, WILLIAM LEE GRANT, ROBERT I. MCGAVOGK, RICHARD E. IIAYNES,

PATENT OFFICE.

ANDJAMES G. VOORHIES,`OF COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE.

DELIVERING AND Application filed January 11, 1908.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, VILLIAM EDWARD MARTIN, WILLIAM LEE GRANT, ROBERT J. MCGAVOCK, RICHARD E. IIIAYNES, and JAMES C. VooRHIEs, citizens of the United States, residing at Columbia, in the county of Maury and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Delivering and Catching Devices; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear', and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in delivering and catching devices and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in connection with railway trains for delivering bags of mail at various stations along the track-way, and our obj ect is to provide means for delivering the mail bags and in such manner as to prevent the same from being thrown beneath the cars.

A further object is to provide means for holding the mail bags on the train until it is desired to deliver the same, and a still further obj ect is to provide means for adjusting the parts of the delivering device.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a mail car, showing the manner of supporting a mail bag in position to be deposited in a receptacle. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through a car, the bag being in position to be engaged by the catching device. Fig. 3 is a sectional view as seen on line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the catching device. Fig. 5 is a sectional view as seen on line 5-5, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the usual orany preferred form of railway mail car and 2 indicates the door-way in the side thereof.

In providing our improved form of delivering and catching device, plates 3 and 4 are secured to one jamb of the door-way 2 and have ears 5 and 6 at the outer ends thereof between 'which are pivotally mounted arms 7 and 8 of a delivering frame 9 and, in order to positively hold the frame at right angles to Specification of Letters Patent.

CATCHING DEVICE.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

Serial No. 410,430.

l the side ofthe car 1, the arm 7 is provided with an extension 10, on the free end of which is av lug 11 adapted to enter a seat 12 in the lower face of a spring iinger 13, said iinger being secured adjacent the inner end of the plate 3 and has its outer end curved upwardly, so that the extension 10 will readily pass below the finger.

, A bag 14 is supported in the usual or any the arms 7 and 8 and said bag is adapted to be engaged substantially at its longitudinal center by means of a catching arm 15, the outer end of said catching arm having a hooked terminal 16, so that when the bag is engaged by the catching arm, it will be removed from engagement with the arms 7 and 8.

The catching arm 15 is adjustably secured to a 'standard 17, by introducing bolts 18 through an elongated slot 19 in the body of the catching arm 15, said bolts extending at opposite sides of the standard 17 and through a plate 20 and by forming the standard 17 square in cross section, the catching arm will be rigidly held in engagement with the standard when the bolts 1S are tightened.

The upper and lower ends of the standard 17 are pivotally mounted in brackets 21, the standard being adapted to rotate therebetween, the upper end of the standard having a bai' 22 secured thereto and extending at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the standard, the up er surface of the bar being provided with a ug 23, which is adapted to engage sockets 24 and 25 in the lower faces of the upper bracket 21 and a projection 26 on said upper bracket, respectively.

The brackets 21 are iixed to any suitable forn. v3f post 27, which post is placed along the side of the track-way and in position to extend the catching arm 15 in the path of the mail bag carried by the frame 9 and, when the bag is removed from the frame 9, by the hooked terminal 16, said bag is deposited in a receptacle 28 located adjacent the base of the post 27 and immediately below the catching arm 15.

The object in rotatably mounting the standard 17 to the brackets 21, is to allow the catching arm to yield when contacted with the bag '14, as the impact of the bag against the arm would be sufficient to break the arm, unless the same could yield, but, by providpreferred manner between the outer ends of ing the lug 23 on the bar 22 and engaging the same with the socket in the upper bracket 21, said arm will be held suiiciently rigid to remove the bag from engagement with the frame 9 and it will be readily seen that as the standard 17 rotates, the bag will be released from the hooked terminal 16 and be permitted to drop into the receptacle 28, while the impactv on the catching arm 15 will be suflicient to remove the lug from engagement with the socket 24 and-swing the same into engagement with the socket 25 on the projection 26, thereby disposing the hooked end ofthe catching arm away from the track-way and out ofthe way of passing trains.

It will likewise be seen that the impact of the bag against the catching arm 15 would affect the frame 9 and, to this end, I provide the extension 10 and secure thereto the lug 11, which engages the seat in the spring iinger 13, the tension oi the spring linger being sui'licient to normally hold the frame extended at right angles to the side of the car, but will release the extension when the bag is cngaged with the catching arm 15, the impact of the bag against the arm, swinging the frame 9 against the side of the car.

When the bag of mail is to be delivered, the operator on the train swings the frame 9 away from the side of the car and directs the extension 10 in engagement with the 'spring linger 13, after which the bag 14 is secured between the arms 7 and S, while the operator at the station swings the bar 22 on the standard 17 below the upper bracket 21 and seats the lug 23 in the socket 24, thereby extending the hooked terminal ofthe arm 15 in the path of the bag carried by the frame 9.

It will thus be seen that we have provided a very cheap and ei'Iicient means for delivering mail bags at certain intervals along the railway and one wherein the bag will be delivered at a distance from the track way, and prevented from falling beneath the train and becoming destroyed or mutilated.

What we claim is:

1. In a delivering and catching device of the class described, the combination with a frame adapted to hold mail bags, means to pivotally mount the frame upon a car and additional means to yieldingly hold the frame extended from the side of the car, of a standard, means to pivotally mount the standard adjacent the path of the car, a catching arm longitudinally adjustable on said standard and a hooked terminal o n said arm adapted to remove the mail bag from the frame.

2. The herein described delivering and catching device, comprising the combination with a car having a door-way therein;l

of plates secured to the car, a frame pivotally secured to said plates, an extension on said fra1ne,means to engage said extension and hold the 'frame extended from the car, a standard, a supporting post for the standard, means to pivotally mount said standard in position on the post, a catching arm adjustably secured to said standard, means at the outer end of the catching arm adapted to engage a mail bag carried by the frame and release the bag from the frame.

3. The herein described delivering and catching device, for mail bags, comprising the combination with a frame adapted to hold a mail bag and means to secure the frame to a car body of a post adjacent the path of thc car, brackets on said post, a standard pivotally mounted between said brackets, a catching arm adjustably mounted on the standard, a hooked terminal on said catching arm adapted to engage the bag and remove the saine from the frame and means at the upper end of the standard to hold the catching arm into or out of the path of the mail bag.

4. The herein described delivering and catching device, comprising the combination with a car and aframe thereon adapted to support a mail bag and extend the same at the side of the car; oi' a post adjacent the path of the car, brackets on said post, one of said brackets having a socket therein, a projection on the bracket having a socket, a standard pivotally mounted between said brackets, a bar at the upper end of said standard, a lug on said bar adapted toengage the socket in the bracket and projections and a catching arm adjustably secured to the standard adapted to engage and remove the bag from the frame.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM EDI/VARD MARTIN. IILLIAM LEE GRANT. ROBT. J. MCGAVOCK. RICHARD E. IIAYNES.

JAMES C. VOORIIIES.

Witnesses:

JAs. W. TnoMAs, E. I-I. ALFonD. 

